Hero NYC vendor to run for Congress

The New York City street vendor who notified police to the May 2010 car bomb in Times Square is making a bid for Congress, according to a report.

Duane Jackson, 59, is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Rep. Nan Hayworth’s (R) seat in the district which is in the suburbs north of the city. Jackson told The Associated Press he decided to run for Congress after he saw the impact of his call to the police about the potential terrorist attack.

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“It was kind of an epiphany for me,” he told the AP. “I had a call from President Obama. I had people from all over the world come and thank me for, you know, seeing something and saying something. I can tell people, especially young people and people in the minority communities, it’s OK to get involved in the running of this country.”

On May 1, 2010, Jackson and another vendor called the police after they saw an illegally parked, empty SUV begin smoking. The car had a propane-and-gasoline bomb inside, but it did not explode. Faisal Shahzad confessed to the bombing attempt and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Jackson, a Navy veteran who lives in Buchanan and owns Duane’s of Times Square, told the AP his years as a vendor offer important “small-business experience,” and he noted he has also worked in New York City’s education and housing departments. He sells watches, wallets, golf clubs, shoes, gloves and balls.